Portland voters: You have a $72 million fire bond in November

Portland city commissioners voted Thursday to put a $72 million fire safety bond measure on the Nov. 2 general ballot.

The bond, if approved, will pay for new firetrucks, a digital radio system and a new fire station. Property taxpayers would pay an extra $18 to $27 a year, for example, on a home assessed at $200,000 to finance the bonds.

All four commissioners and Portland Mayor Sam Adams cited the importance of public safety. But Commissioner Amanda Fritz was the only one to vote no, saying that emergency response is a core city duty that taxpayers shouldn't have to pay "extra" to get.

"This is a basic service, and this is something that should have been prioritized in the city budget," she said.

There wasn't much hand-wringing in City Hall over asking recession-weary taxpayers for more money. Commissioners last month adopted a city budget that included higher water and sewer fees, but also included less money than requested by the Fire Bureau to replace aging equipment.

Commissioner Randy Leonard, a former firefighter and the current fire commissioner, outlined his bond proposal in an e-mail to commissioners in early June before putting it to the council Thursday. In contrast, Commissioner Nick Fish had talked for months about putting a $200 million parks levy on the November ballot but ditched it in light of poor polling.

Leonard said he knows times are hard, but he thinks voters will agree to tax themselves once given the facts.

"They will get it, and they will support it," he said.

Commissioner Dan Saltzman succeeded in making four changes to Leonard's proposal. Now, the bond money will pay for at least four speedy emergency medical vehicles to respond to non-fire calls, which make up the bulk of 9-1-1 calls. Also, the council will appoint a five-member committee to oversee spending; any savings from fire contracts will be returned to taxpayers; and new buildings will meet energy-efficient environmental standards.

Fire Chief John Klum said trucks and equipment are being retired after 15 years in Portland instead of the typical 10 in other West Coast cities. The bond would pay $8 million for a fire station near the Willamette River on the east side and $20 million for new apparatus.

An estimated $4 million would go toward a new emergency center on Southeast Powell Boulevard that would house the Portland Office of Emergency Management and the Portland Water Bureau. The building would have an eco-roof.